Belafonte in the Movie Kansas City by Robert Altman 1996
He appeared on screen only sporadically after that , notably as a mobster in Mr . Altman ' s " Kansas City " ( 1996 ), for which Mr . Belafonte won a New York Film Critics Circle Award . His last film role was in Spike Lee ' s " BlacKkKlansman " in 2018 . A film that will give Spike Lee his first Oscar as a director . Mr . Belafonte continued to perform in the years he was o -screen , but he focused on political activism and charity work . In the 1980s , he helped organize a cultural boycott of South Africa as well as the Live Aid concert and all-star recording " We Are the World ", both of which raised money to fight the starvation in Africa . In 1986 , encouraged by some New York State Democratic Party leaders , he briefly considered running for the United States Senate . In 1987 , he replaced Danny Kaye as UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador . He was a staunch supporter of leftist politics , criticizing hawkish US foreign policy , campaigning against nuclear armament , and meeting with both Castro and Chavez . During the meeting with Chavez in 2006 , he described US President George W Bush as " the greatest terrorist in the world ". He also characterized Bush ' s black secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice as being like slaves who worked in their master ' s house rather than in the fields , criticisms which Powell and Rice dismissed .
Mr Belafonte was also outspoken in the 2013 New York mayoral election , in which he campaigned for Democratic candidate and eventual winner Bill de Blasio . During the campaign , he called the Koch brothers , wealthy industrialists known for supporting conservative causes , “ white supremacists ” and compared them to the Ku Klux Klan . ( Mr . de Blasio quickly distanced himself from that comment .) He has frequently criticized Democrats , especially Barack Obama , on issues such as Guantanamo Bay detentions and the fight against right-wing extremism . He criticized Jay-Z and Beyoncé in 2012 for " turning their backs on social responsibility ... Give me Bruce Springsteen , and now you speak ." I really think he ' s black . Jay-Z replied , " You ' re this civil rights activist and you just fattened the white guy against me in white media ... that was just the wrong way to go ." Such statements have made Mr . Belafonte a frequent target of criticism , but no one has ever challenged his artistry . Among the many honors he received in his later years were the Kennedy Center Honor in 1989 , the National Medal of Arts in 1994 , and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000 .
Flashmag ! issue 140 April 2023
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